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Barbell plate calculator

Type the weight you want on the bar. The calculator works out what goes on each side with the plates you have, and never overshoots the target.

Your bar

Units

Pairs of plates available

Load each side

Each side, from the inner sleeve shoulder outward: 1 × 25 kg, 1 × 15 kg2515

Each side, from the inner sleeve shoulder outward: 1 × 25 kg, 1 × 15 kg.

Load from the inner sleeve shoulder outward, heaviest plate first.

Bar total
100 kg
Plates per side
40 kg
Difference
Exact

How it works

The bar and both collars are subtracted from your target, and the remainder is split evenly between the two sleeves. The calculator then searches every combination your plate inventory allows and picks the one that gets closest to the target without going over, using the fewest plates. When two loadings tie, it prefers heavier plates, which is how most lifters load a bar.

Arithmetic runs in hundredths of a unit, so 1.25 kg and 2.5 lb plates stay exact; there is no floating-point drift.

Plate colours

In kilograms the diagram uses the common competition colour code: 25 kg red, 20 kg blue, 15 kg yellow, 10 kg green, 5 kg white, 2.5 kg black and 1.25 kg silver. Gym plates vary, so read the numbers rather than trusting colour alone. Pound plates are shown in one neutral colour, sized by weight.

Bars and collars

A men's Olympic bar is 20 kg and a women's 15 kg; many gyms also have 45 lb and 35 lb bars, and technique or training bars are lighter. Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each. If your bar is something else, choose "Other weight" and enter its exact weight; guessing with the nearest standard bar makes every total wrong by the difference.

Planning a heavy set from a percentage? Get the number from the 1RM calculator, then load it here. For how to build up to it, read warm-up ramp sets.

Method and copy last reviewed . See our editorial policy. Educational information, not medical or coaching advice.